Orecchini
by whatifellinlovewith
Summary: The note Castle left for Kate in her Valentine's day gift has her name on it, and that's how Gates find out about their relationship. AU insert for 'Reality Star Struck'


**I know its late, but here's my Caskett Valentine's Day one-shot. Came to me while I re-watched 'Reality Star Struck' and is pretty much an AU insert to the episode on what would happen had her name been on the note.**

* * *

She walks around her desk, around him, until she is standing up straight, her perfect posture intimidating, her gaze hard and locked on him.

"Did you really think that I, of all people, would be okay with this?" she asks, voice hard and emotionless, like he had often believed Captain Gates to be. She just has that image to her, strong and determined, the kind of woman that puts up with very little crap, especially from one specific mystery writer who worked at her precinct.

"No. I…thought…" he trails, unsure of exactly where she's going with this, of what exactly she found. He knows she found the earrings, doesn't know what she thinks of it though. Worse, he has no idea, he doesn't remember what he wrote on the note he knows he left in the box for his lovely Kate – definitely not for Gates. She's still looking at him, hard gaze staying on him as she slips on her glasses. He knows what's coming next, and can only hope that Kate's name is not written on the top of the small paper he had left folded up in the box containing the earrings he had planned on giving to his girlfriend, not her boss.

She reaches down to her desk, and picks up the folded up piece of paper and unfolds it anything but delicately. She glances up at him again, taking in his figure that was dripping with embarrassment. Her eyebrows raise slightly before she moves her gaze back down to the note in her hand. "Kate, you are beauty, passion and fierce intellect. Be my valentine. Rick" she reads out loud – and oh God, Kate's name is on it. He winces at that, knowing that what's about to come will probably not be good. "Care to explain, Mr. Castle?" he voice cuts through his worry as he realizes that no matter what Gates might do to him, it'll be nothing compared to the wrath of Kate he'll have to face later.

"I-I-I…It was meant for…" he trails off, knowing she doesn't need him to finish. He made the intended recipient of his gift rather obvious with the name she began with. And, if that wasn't evidence enough, the way he turned to look through the blinds of Gates' office to look at the woman who would surely be his Valentine, who would surely of loved receiving the earrings from him, His eyes lock on hers, and even through the window the love and electricity that runs through him because of her beautiful green eyes is unignorable. With the slightest nod of his head, he confirms her worries, that Gates now knows about them, and he instantly sees her deflate, and realizes how upset she is at the possibility – impending reality – of never working a case with him again.

"Detective Beckett" she finishes for him, and he realizes he had pretty much forgotten he was in her office when emotion overwhelmed him at his last realization. He quickly turns around to face the Captain, notices for the first time the hint of amusement in her eyes. In another quick motion, he turns back to shoot another quick glance at his girlfriend before turning back to Gates.

"Yes" he confirms, not that she needs any confirmation. She glances over his shoulder at the sole detective standing among the desks, right in the middle of the room, watching their exchange, and motions with her hand for Beckett to join them. He can almost see her sighing and turning to walk slowly, trying to keep her posture and hide her disappointment, straight faced to join them, Sure enough, it takes a while before she joins them in the small office, standing next to him but not touching him, as if they were still trying to deny that anything is going on between them.

"Hello, sir" she greets with a nod of her head, remaining purely professional, as if not knowing the true cause of the trio's meeting. The look on the Captain's face still scares him a bit, because she doesn't look nearly as upset with them, or satisfied to have a reason to kick him out of her precinct as he thought she would. She still looks rather amused, which still shocks him.

"Detective" she greets back, gaze locking on the latest addition to their group. She reaches down to the desk, grabs the note and box containing the earrings and hands them to Kate, who knowingly reaches over to take them. "I believe those were meant for you. Go ahead, open them" she says, motioning to the items Kate now holds in her hands.

He watches nervously as Kate looks back up at Gates questioningly, is answered with a nod, and looks back down at the items she is holding. He watches as she slowly, gently unfolds the piece of paper in her hands. He sees the smile come across the corner of her lips as she reads over the sweet and simple message he had left for her, hoping to elaborate on his feelings in words spoken rather than written. She looks up again, this time to meet his eyes, to express her happiness with the joy glowing in hers. He smiles at her, telling her he's just as happy, and motions with his head to the box, still closed and resting in her palm. She looks back down and slowly opens the box, her soft gasp barely audible when she lays eyes on the earring it contains. The fingers of her free hand reach up and gently run over the cold metal and blue gem, the awe in her eyes obvious even from his angle. She had hinted to him she wanted jewelry, even though she didn't come off as much of a jewelry person. He hadn't forgotten, and was happy when he found those, knowing she'd love them.

"Wow" her voice is dripping with awe as the word slips through her lips. She quickly closes her mouth and looks up at him, a slight blush creeping up onto her cheeks. "Thanks, Castle" He smiles at the look on her face, shy and loving, and wants so bad to press his smile to hers and hold her against him as he kisses her, soft and loving, but he can't. He still doesn't know what Gates is going to do about all this, and his gut tells him planting even a small kiss on Kate's lips in front of her boss would not be the best thing to do considering their current situation.

"Always" he whispers, not knowing whether or not Gates hears it, but the look in Kate's eyes tells him she did. Her smile grows slightly, and he still aches to kiss her. He simply reaches out, placing his hand in front of her. She looks down at it and smiles even more, knowing what he means without him having to explain. She reaches out and wraps her hand around his, and he smiles at the memory of the first time they shook hands with this meaning. It's Gates' scoff in the corner of the room that had them separating and turning to face her, both equally confused at the smile spread across her face.

"Go on, detective. Give him a kiss" she says, and both his and Kate's eyes widen in shock. "Oh, come on. I know that look, guys" she says, a slight roll of her eyes adding to their confusion. But, after a few seconds of silence, Kate lets another smile coat her lips as she turns to him and presses her lips to his in a short and sweet kiss, just enough to thank him without leaving him wanting more. That's a dilemma neither want in this very moment. She pulls away, but lets him take her hand because, at this point, they don't think the intertwining of their fingers will ruin the delicate situation.

"Sir" says Kate, but the rest of her sentence fails her as she feels his thumb running over hers. They both know they don't want to lose this, that murder is what brought them together and that their not ready for that part of their relationship to be over yet. "I…" she tries again, but once again fails to express the fear she has when it comes to losing her partner.

"Detective, I know you and Castle are romantically involved now" Gates had returned to her serious self at some point, and is speaking in a level tone that worries Castle. Kate nods slowly, her fears showing even in the slight movement of her head. "But, I also know that, in some crazy way that I'll never be able to explain, he helps around the precinct" she adds, her eyes moving quickly to him, shooting him an almost annoyed glance. "You two work really well with detectives Ryan and Esposito, and solve many cases as a team" she continues. "And I think he brings out the best in you, Beckett" she adds.

"Sir?" asks Kate, her question evident even in the one word question. He squeezes her hand gently, as if confirming that his question is the same as she's asking.

"So, as long as the two of you remain professional at work, I won't break up the team" she finally says, and both Kate and Castle breathe a sigh of relief. "But, Mr. Castle, if you do anything to annoy me, I now have an easy way to get you kicked out of my precinct. Understood?" she adds, her eyes shooting him another glare. He nods silently as Kate lets out a chuckle beside him.

"Don't worry, sir. I'll keep him in check" she says softly, the squeeze she gives his hand sealing the promise. There's no way she's letting him leave after they got Gates to let them keep working together. That was the biggest hurdle cleared.

"Now, go on, guys. I know you guys want to celebrate" she says, a hint of teasing mixed with a hint of disgust to create an odd tone that almost made him laugh. Kate simply smiles.

"Thank you, sir" she says, turning to leave and pulling Castle behind her. "Have a good night" She pulls him between the desks and to the elevator, note and box of earrings still clutched in her hand that's not holding his. She leads them over to the elevator and presses the button to call it. The doors open almost instantly, and she steps in and presses the button for the ground floor. She keeps her eyes on her boss until the doors close completely, finally leaving her and Castle in the privacy of the elevator.

Once alone, she presses her lips to his again, the force of her mouth a little more demanding, but not too heated. He holds her against him, his arms circling her small waist and pulling her so their bodies were pressed together. She smiles into the kiss and pulls away slightly, putting a few inches of distance between them. Her hand still clutching the piece of paper folded up and the box that held her gift. Her eyes lock on the box and another smile spreads across her face.

"They really are beautiful" she says, remembering the complex yet simple design of the white gold and diamonds circling the blue gem at the center of each earring. "I'm glad I got them back from Gates" she murmurs softly. He smiles back at her, thumb rubbing gentle circles into her lower back. She leans over, arms still wrapped around his neck, and tightens her grip as she rests her head on his shoulder. He tightens his grip on her in return, holding her as close as possible. "I'm so glad she didn't kick you out" she whispers, the shaking of her voice evident as she speaks close to his ear. He simply holds her, not knowing what to reply, knowing she doesn't need a reply because she knows as much as him that he feels the same way, that he's glad it wasn't his last case, too. Once the elevator dings, announcing their arrival, they separate. She reaches down and grips his hand. "Now, come on. You still have to find out how I beat these earrings" she says, the smile on her face wide as she leads him out of the precinct.


End file.
